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November 2005 The News Argus 7 Read on Good thesis statement makes good essay Ben Deogaye Beye visits WSSU It’s easy to see where The Fog’ is going FEATURES Office of International Programs sponsors visit to WSSU by Ben Diogaye Beye By Jonathan Wedlock ARGUS REPORTER Good essays are grounded in a good thesis statement By David Robinson WRITING CENTER PEER TUTOR College students often experience anxiety and frustration, especially when given a writing assign ment they do not understand. For example, students may wonder where to begin when asked to write a three to five page essay about an epic writ ten almost three thousand years ago. If these students want a passing grade, they must write well enough to con vince instructors they can dis cuss the topic intelligently and support their observations. Tutors in the V\^SSU Writing Center, located in Room 206 in Hall Patterson, work with stu dents to help revise and devel op writing skills. Many writers do not realize the thesis is the most important part of an essay. Developing a clear thesis statement and writing concise topic sentences is half the work that goes into writing a strong paper. But, what is a thesis statement? The thesis statement is a sen tence that focuses the paper. It serves as the blueprint for the paper. The thesis statement allows writers to narrow a broad topic into a precise state ment. An example of a broad topic might be "Music and Culture." The working thesis must narrow this broad topic down to one aspect of music, such as "the secular elements in reggae music." Narrowing this topic even further, one possible thesis might be that "the secular elements in reggae music are a result of socio and economic oppression." After deciding on a thesis, each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that is related to the thesis. The topic sentence is to the para graph what the thesis is to the paper: the topic, sentence serves as a blueprint that focuses the paragraph. In the example above, one topic sen tence might be: 'Themes of economic oppression in many Jamaican songs were common during the early 20th Century." This topic sentence allows the writer to expand on the topic in very particular ways. The Cambridge Language Consultants web site, found at http:/ /www.camlang.com/spO 04.htm, offers helpful formulas for developing a thesis state ment. Asking the following questions and filling in the blanks may help writers find a focus and support for a topic: A. Although most readers of have argued that , closer examination shows that. B. uses and to prove that C. Phenomenon X is a result of the combination of , , and Come to the WSSU Writing Center where Peer Tutors help students develop a focus for their papers and write a clear thesis statement and topic sen tences. See Through The Fog' is too predictable to be scary By Tamika Green ARGUS REPORTER Depending on the circumstances, a remake of-a film can go in one of two directions: up or down. For a lover of horror fficks, 'The Fog" was a big disappoint ment. Where to start? This remake of the 1980 John Carpenter film of the same title was predictable and filled with a few too many conveniently-placed "coincidences." Although the new version contains better special effects, they fail to make up for what the movie lacks—quality. The movie centers upon the inhabitants of Antonio Bay, a small island community off the coast of Oregon hiding a ghastly histo ry. They begin suffering the effects of the curse that was placed upon the town after a boatload of lepers in search of a new place to live were murdered for fear of spreading the disease. Upon the 100th anniversary of their deaths, the island becomes enveloped with a cloud of ominous fog, bringing with it the ghostly crew of the ill-fated ship looking to exact their revenge on the descendants of their killers and the rest of the locals. For a movie that is supposed to leave you wondering what is going to happen next, it lacks the key factor of the element of suspense. It fails to leave things to one's imagination, instead leaving the viewer with a sense of "I knew that was going to happen" — a comment I heard a few times throughout the the ater. Despite the creative special effects, this movie deserves to get lost in "the fog." Computer graphics cannot replace good old- fashioned quality acting and storylines. Apparently, it can't replace common sense or double-checking either. For example, in one scene, the window of a truck is smashed and broken, and in the next scene it is intact. There are several other instances such as this occurring throughout the film. There are better uses for $7.50. In other words, wait until it comes on cable tv. Genre: Horror Rating: PG-13 (violence, disturbing images, brief sexuality) Cast: Tom Welling, Selma Blair, Maggie Grace, DeRay Davis, Kenneth Welsh Directed by; Debra Hill, John Carpenter, Rupert Wainwright Produced by; Debra Hill, David Foster, John Carpenter In the film "A Childhood Love," Ben Diogaye Beye, one of the pio neers of Senegalese cinema, uses childhood memories to illustrate a very dramatic juvenile love story. One of his most popular films, "A Childhood Love" is vintage Beye in that it is purpose-driven and inspir ing, but also explores the larger themes of tradition and modernity. The film was one of three screened on campus during a visit last month by the writer-director, who also spoke on "Film: Economic, Cultural and Social Dimensions in the Global Context." The Office of International Programs sponsored his visit. Beye said his films are not driven by special effects. "Special effects come from a computer, and a com puter isn't art," he said. Although set in Senegal and filmed in French, "Un Amour d'Enfant" (A Childhood Love) deals with issues that are relevant to urban America — strikes at the workplace, beggars going door to door and bootlegger/hustlers get ting harassed by the police until arrested. But the overall theme cannot be missed: love among a group of 12- year-old friends. From love letters to fighting, idolizing Michael Jordan and also lying about how many girl friends they had, the youths in this film conduct themselves in much the same way that many youths in this society do. Standout wide-receiver for Ram football Michael Scarborough was among the students who turned out for the film. 'This was a great movie and [it] had me reminiscing on my own childhood," he said. Not even subtitles diminished the film's message, freshman Shaquan Wiggins added. other films produced by Beye include 'Touki-Bouki," "Baks" and "Samba Tali"(Street Kid), which won a Best Picture Award for best short film at the Festival International Film Ensemble Francophone (FIFEF) in Geneva 1975. Students aren't sure they agree with Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick's decision By Lisa R. Boone EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Corey Griffin, a junior elementary- education major, stands out among students and for two obvious rea sons — the two gold nugget earrings in each of his ears. Men sporting earrings is nothing new, and it's usually not even the focus of debate or controversy. However, the practice made national news recently when Kwame Kilpatrick, the 35-year-old mayor of Detroit, announced that he has decided to stop wearing the dia mond stud that has become his trademark. In a recent New York Times news brief, Kilpatrick was quoted as saying the earring over shadowed the fact that he had a law degree and that he was head of the Michigan House. 'That little insignificant thing in my ear gave off bad spirit of rebellion," said the mayor who won re-election. Griffin said his earrings are just fashion statements. "If 1 was in [Kilpatrick's] position I would have taken my earring out to be pro fessional when it was time to be professional," he said. "I wouldn't have taken my earring out of my ear completely. I would have taken my earring out just for a time period while I ran for the posi tion in politics or when I had to go out and speak to people. The earring does not make the person that is inside of me or affect my ability to do what needs to be done, it's just an outward appearance for Photo courtesy of KRT Wire Service Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick stopped wearing his earring. fashion." Junior Tony Caldwell, who proud ly displays a diamond earring simi- See Kilpatrick, page 8 Something doesn't add up in this relationship By Tara Solomon KRT WIRE SERVICE Dear Advice Diva: 1 carpool to the office with one of my co workers to save money. It's a good situation for both of us; it was actually my co-worker's idea to do it. I realize that the cost of gasoline has gone up, but I think that she is being cheap with me. I have been paying her $20 a week for gas but she has now asked me to pay $30 a week. She has a small qar and it probably costs $25 to fill up the tank. The difference of $10 a week equals $40 a month — the price of a dinner out, more or less — and a whopping $520 a year. And we live less than two miles apart! How do I bring this up to her with out appearing that I am the cheap one? And what is a reasonable percentage to pay for carpooling? Spinning My Wheels Dear Spinning; Let's do the math to see if your co-worker is taking you for a ride: Calculate the miles from your home to your office, and multiply it times 48.5 cents, which is the new mile reimbursement allowed by the IRS through December 2005. Let's say you live 10 miles from work: $4.85 is the price you would be responsible for paying someone to drive you. Now, multiply two miles (the distance from your co worker's home to yours) times 48.5, which is 97 cents. Now add your two sums together and double to get the round-trip price, which is $11.64. Split it in half ($5.82) for the cost each of you should assume daily. Multiply times five (days) for a work week and $29.10 is what you should be pay ing (based on a 10 mile commute from her home). It's not just about gas — consider also the wear and tear on your co-worker's car. FIRST DATE Tum-Ons 1. Friendly touching, but nothing inappropriate that seems desperate. 2. Feeding me my dessert. 3. Inviting me in for a nightcap after the date. Tum-Offs 1. Crying for any reason or getting overly emotion al. 2. Talking about the 3 Ds: Death, divorce or dis memberment. 3. Scuffed shoes, chipped nail polish or other signs of being ill- groomed. — Sean D., Miami The Advice Diva wel comes your questions — particularly the more amusing ones. Write her atadvicediva@herald.com. Some still wonder if Janet Jackson and James DeBarge have a child By Annette John-Hall KRT WIRE SERVICE Janet Jackson says she is not a mother. In a statement, the 39-year-old singer denied a former brother-in-law's claim that she has a "secret" 18-year-old daughter with singer James DeBarge. "I do not have a child and all allegations saying so are false," Jackson said in a statement released to the syndicat ed "Access Hollywood" TV show. Since Young DeBarge, Jackson's former brother-in-law, i made the charge on New York's WQHT-FM radio, every body's been buzzing about what was for many years repeated as an urban legend. According to Young DeBarge, the daughter, named Renee, was raised by Rebbie Jackson, 56, the eldest of the Jackson siblings. Secretly is how Janet Jackson has lived her personal life. It was years before she acknowledged that she'd been married to James DeBarge of the family band DeBarge in 1984 when she was 18 and he was 21. The marriage reportedly was annulled in 1985. And it wasn't until choreographer Rene Elizondo filed for divorce that his relation ship with Jackson was revealed to be that of husband and wife. Even now, according to E! Online, there are whispers that record producer Jermaine Dupri is Jackson's third husband. According to a British entertainment Web site, FemaleFirst, Jackson told British Glamour last year that, thanks to her relationship with Dupri, she was contemplating having children "for the first time in my life." JACKSON
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